The field is now down to just eight teams!
The 2023 FIBA World Cup is finally in its last major stage, the quarterfinals. From here, the format is simple, a single elimination tournament, with classification games through Sunday when he medal matches will be played.
Here are the teams that will play later today and tomorrow in the quarterfinal round. All games will be played at Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.
Tuesday, Sept. 5
- Lithuania vs. Serbia at 4:45 a.m. ET
- United States vs. Italy at 8:40 a.m. ET
Wednesday, Sept. 6
- Latvia vs. Germany at 4:45 a.m. ET
- Slovenia vs. Canada at 8:40 a.m. ET
From the eight teams remaining, all of the squads are from FIBA Europe (six) or FIBA Americas (two). The USA Basketball men’s national team remains the favorite for the tournament despite losing to Lithuania yesterday in Group K play.
But there are also some surprise teams in the field. For example, Latvia made the quarterfinals while Spain, the world’s top ranked team is out. It will be interesting to see who the top FIBA Europe teams will be in this tournament for automatic Olympic berths.
Canada is also in the quarterfinals and they have clinched an Olympic berth for the first time since 2000. It’s also after multiple disappointing finishes in past World Cups or Olympic qualifying tournaments. Could they win a medal in addition to their 2024 trip to Paris?